Disney feels the Bern: Sanders slams CEO’s $423mn bonus while staff struggle

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders took aim at Disney and ABC News on Twitter, delivering a stinging tweet that took aim at both corporate media self-censorship and Disney’s failure to adequately pay workers.

"I have a feeling ABC will not be asking on its nightly news program tonight how Disney can make $9 billion in profits while three-quarters of Disneyland employees can't afford

basic living expenses," Sanders wrote on Twitter.

The former Democratic presidential candidate, who is also the most popular US senator, is headed to Anaheim, California Saturday, the home of Disney World, to meet with workers and businesses.

“We are joining Disneyland workers today to say: If Disney can afford to pay its CEO up to $423 million, it can afford to pay all of its workers a living wage,” Sanders tweeted on Saturday, posting a video which outlines how much money Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Iger makes, and how many Disneyland workers are homeless or food-insecure. It also accuses Disney of reneging on a promise to pay workers a $1000 bonus after President Donald Trump’s tax cut.

Sanders is a longtime advocate for an increased national minimum wage and, throughout his primary run, he often railed against corporations like Walmart for making vast profits at the expense of its workers, who often lack a living wage and even have to survive on food stamps.   

During the 2016 primaries, Sanders visited Anaheim, where he pointed out that Disney “pays its workers [at the park] so low that many are forced to live in motels, because they can’t afford a decent place to live. Meanwhile, Disney made a record-breaking profit of nearly $3 billion last quarter.”

Iger wasn’t pleased with the comment at the time, and took to Facebook to highlight the jobs Disney created. “How many jobs have you created? What have you contributed to the U.S. economy?” he wrote.

He has yet to respond to Sanders’ latest jab.

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